Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) Shares Acquired by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 40.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,969,498 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,593,313 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $870,400,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CL. Angeles Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive in the second quarter valued at approximately $242,000. Quilter Plc increased its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 39,438 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,827,000 after buying an additional 750 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 20,152 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,956,000 after buying an additional 1,311 shares during the last quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 108,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,512,000 after acquiring an additional 1,084 shares during the period. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 21.7% in the second quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 10,933 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,061,000 after acquiring an additional 1,953 shares in the last quarter. 80.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Colgate-Palmolive

In other news, insider Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 14,794 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.94, for a total value of $1,522,894.36. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $529,729.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Panagiotis Tsourapas sold 14,794 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.94, for a total value of $1,522,894.36. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $529,729.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Sally Massey sold 15,850 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.28, for a total transaction of $1,636,988.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 13,942 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,439,929.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 43,490 shares of company stock worth $4,486,063. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $103.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $92.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. HSBC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.63.

Colgate-Palmolive Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of CL opened at $105.73 on Monday. Colgate-Palmolive has a fifty-two week low of $67.62 and a fifty-two week high of $109.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $102.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.90, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company has a market capitalization of $86.75 billion, a PE ratio of 33.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.40.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 26th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.04. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 470.19% and a net margin of 14.21%. The firm had revenue of $5.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.77 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 18th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.89%. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.29%.

About Colgate-Palmolive

Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells consumer products in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments: Oral, Personal and Home Care; and Pet Nutrition. The Oral, Personal and Home Care segment offers toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, bar and liquid hand soaps, shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants and antiperspirants, skin health products, dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, and other related items.